DIY Pottery Tools: Everyday Objects You Can Use with Clay
DIY Ceramics Tools
Very often we don’t actually need to buy pottery tools or gadgets; we can make them from everyday objects.
Let’s look at a few examples that might inspire you – accessories or tools for clay that we can get from day-to-day items:
1) Kitchen rolling pins
You can use a typical wooden rolling pin from the kitchen to make clay slabs.
If you need something longer, try looking for a broken handle from garden tools (shovels, etc.) or old curtain rods.
If you find a rod that isn’t smooth, you can use it for texturing. You can also take a rolling pin or rod and carve grooves into it or wrap thread around it to see what kind of patterns you get. Some results will pleasantly surprise you.
2) Fishing line
Make custom wires to cut clay. They’ll be much stronger than some of the commercial clay-cutting wires.
You can make several lengths to suit your needs, and on the ends you can attach whatever you like as a handle.
3) Credit cards
Don’t throw away expired credit cards (or similar plastic cards from clubs, memberships, etc.).
You can make a paper template and then cut the card to that shape with scissors. The nice thing is that the ribs/scrapers you get for the wheel can be made specifically for a particular project – for a piece where you need a very specific curve.
Click here if you’d like free printable templates to cut out different rib and scraper shapes.
4) Combs from home
You can use an old comb to add texture. Try scratching the clay surface and see if you get patterns you like.
Depending on the comb design, you can also use it as a sort of extruder and see if you like the shapes the clay makes as it squeezes between the teeth.
5) Second-hand shops
In second-hand shops and antique stores you can find tools that work brilliantly in the studio – for example, old dentist tools, which are fantastic for clay modelling.
If you have something specific in mind, you can also buy it online second-hand. However, the nice thing about rummaging through physical shops is that you often stumble upon tools you weren’t even looking for, that you didn’t even know existed.
6) Brushes that aren’t “ceramics-specific”
You can also use regular brushes from art stores, DIY shops or stationery shops, not just brushes that are marketed specifically for ceramics.
7) Utility knives and other cutters
You can use a standard stationery cutter (box cutter) with great results on clay.
For example, when you’re working with clay slabs you can cut them to shape or bevel the edges so they overlap neatly where different parts join.
8) Tattoo needles
If you know a tattoo artist, they can save you used or unwanted needles. They’re excellent for scoring the clay where pieces need to “stitch” together.
For example, for scoring before attaching handles to teapots – in short, for any kind of clay joins or attachments.
9) We’ll keep adding to this list!
We encourage you to share which everyday objects you use for ceramics, or how you’ve built your own homemade tools. That way we can keep extending this list and hopefully help other potters too.